


Coffee Break

by anxietyrobot



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018)
Genre: Coffee, Gen, constant arguing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-05-15 18:40:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19301551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anxietyrobot/pseuds/anxietyrobot
Summary: Draxum and Foot Recruit reluctantly get coffee together.





	Coffee Break

**Author's Note:**

> the excitement for the new episode this saturday possessed me like a spirit and so i wrote this

The longer he stayed with the Foot, the more he was sure he’d snap one day.

“I’m not playing babysitter,” he warned. He crossed his arms over his chest; he was doing that a lot these days.

“I don’t need a babysitter!” the recruit cried. “Master, don’t you trust me?”

“This isn’t babysitting,” Lieutenant said. “We just think that both of you, with your ranks, would be a good team for this mission.”

“Master, what are you saying? Does this... goatman even believe in The Foot Clan?”

“Oo, that’s a new one,” chimed in Huginn. “Usually they say you’re a sheep.”

Draxum flicked him off his shoulder without warning.

Lieutenant placed his hands on her shoulders. “Just treat this as a learning opportunity.”

-

They stopped at a coffee shop and Draxum ordered a coffee ladened with cream and sugar because he was allowed to indulge himself every once in a while.

Before the recruit could even look at the menu hung on the wall, Draxum moved his hand in front of her face. “You don’t need any.” He’d seen the way she would bounce around the room and yell at the top of her lungs. He’d rather not see what coffee would do to such a person.

The recruit glared at him before swiping his arm away with one hand and slamming her fist down on the countertop with the other. “Give me a small black coffee.”

The barista glanced to Draxum for approval but he stood by with his arms across his chest. He was done with the babysitting--hell, he never really started with it to begin with. If she wanted a coffee, let her have her damn coffee.

Not seeing any reaction, the barista addressed the recruit. “Alright... any creams or sugars?”

“No,” the recruit replied. The pigheaded stubbornness came off her in waves.

“Okay, and can I get a name?”

Draxum realized he did not know her name--she was only ever “the recruit” to him. Did he really never hear the other Foot address her? Or did he just never really care?

In the moment of silence that followed, Draxum found himself staring at the recruit, waiting for an answer. It was only this way that he managed to catch her glancing up at him, before returning to look at the barista. She leaned in closer and said her name under her breath. _Karai._

Draxum wondered why she was so secretive about it. Was it superstition? Did she have a past? Or was a nickname she chose for herself and feared that he would address her by it in front of others, resulting in embarrassment?

As Draxum payed for the drinks he reminded himself that the answer did not matter. Her name did not matter. No matter what, she would always be the recruit, plain and simple.

-

The recruit--Karai--made her way onto a rooftop without consulting him. Draxum followed her and both of them kept away from the ledge, instead choosing to sit by the entrance to the roof. Neither would not acknowledge that was a deliberate decision.

He sipped on his coffee and stared out onto the city, wondering if it would be fine to get lost in thought. As frustrating as this all was now, he reminded himself that it would all be worth it for the future.

Beside him Karai gagged, her shoulders shooting up and forward with each sip. Draxum couldn’t stand to deal with the theatrics of it for a moment longer.

“Here,” Draxum said as he extended his cup towards her. She looked up at the extended cup, then his face, then back to the cup. Confusion was clear in her face.

“Take it before I force it into your hands,” Draxum said, his voice curt. The defiance he had grown to know from her shot back into her eyes. Before she could respond, he plucked the cup from her hands and replaced it with his. 

“Hey--!”

He ignored her and popped the top off before taking a swig. He nearly gagged himself over the bitterness. 

Karai looked at him curiously before doing the same. Draxum could immediately tell that the cream and sugars he put in his coffee were much more palatable for her.

“Did you really think you could drink this?” Draxum asked, his lip still curled in disgust over the aftertaste.

“I could’ve if you’d let me!” Karai barked back. 

“Well, then, next time I’ll order you a big bucket of the stuff and just watch you drink it.”

"Fine!”

“Fine.”

“I’ll look forward to it!” 

“Me too,” Draxum said, punctuation his remark with another sip of coffee. He felt like he was punishing himself.

“Is it good?” he asked after a moment.

Karai pursed her lips. He could tell she wanted to say something, but wasn’t ready to say it.

“Yes,” she finally replied.

“Good. I’m glad at least one of us gets to enjoy it.”

“Ugh! Stop acting like a martyr! It’s just coffee!”

Before he could reply, she downed the last of the drink and immediately shot up to her feet. She stood stiff as a board, her arms glued to her side with the cup being crushed in her hand. She looked at Draxum with those intense eyes. They stayed like that for a moment. Then, her voice came out strained, as if she was overcoming a hurdle.

“Thank you.” 

The words hit him like a punch. He looked at her, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting for her to play it off as a joke or make it snide comment. She didn’t.

"You’re welcome,” he said for he couldn’t figure out what else to say.

She looked away embarrassed but at what Draxum couldn’t really tell. 

Draxum waited a moment before adding, “I didn’t expect you to be so polite.”

“Shut up,” she bit back and then started jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Draxum watched her disappear among the buildings before following.

**Author's Note:**

> if draxum actually takes his coffee black ill scream afasdf
> 
> also i only named her karai because i didnt know what else to name her afddaf


End file.
